Globe support



Dec; 22, 1959 D. c. M QORMAQL K GLOBE SUPPORT Filed March 11, i957 IOQ lOb27b6 I.

7 INVENTOP DONALD c. MaCO/PMACK A T TORNE YS United States Patent GLOBE SUPPORT Donald C. McCormack, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, as-

signor to J. A. Wilson Lighting & Display Limited, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, a corporation Application March 11, 1957, Serial No. 645,184

8 Claims. (Cl. 240--128) This invention relates to a globe support for an electric lighting fixture, and is concerned primarily with ceiling fixtures.

One object of the invention is to provide a support on which a globe can easily be installed and removed, without having to manipulate screws, levers or knobs.

Another object is to provide a support which is completely hidden by the globe when in place.

The invention utilizes a globe having an inturned edge portion defining an opening in the top of the globe, and is defined in the appended claims, when read in the light of the following description of a preferred embodiment. The preferred embodiment is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional view through a ceiling lighting fixture, showing in dotted lines a position of the globe when it is being installed or removed; and

Fig. 2 is a top perspective view of the globe, ceiling pan and spring strip of Fig. 1, showing how the globe may be installed or removed.

Referring to Fig. 1, an electrical outlet box 1 is mounted in any desired manner within a ceiling 2 and has a lower inturned peripheral flange 1a. Held against the ceiling by screws 3 which pass through the flange 1a is an outlet box cover 4 having an asbestos shield 5 with an aluminum facing on its lower surface to provide a thermal barrier.

The outlet box cover 4 supports, by means of bolts 6, a ceiling pan 7 having an annular portion 7a that contacts the ceiling and a dished central portion 7b below and spaced from the outlet box cover. The pan 7 has an outwardly extending horizontal rim 70 (Fig. 2) having an enlarged outwardly extending horizontal projection or lip 7d at the left of the pan as viewed in the drawings. An elongated spring member 8 is secured at its centre to the rim 7c at the right hand side of the pan as viewed in the drawings. The spring member consists of a thin strip of spring metal 8a having horizontal outwardly extending projections or lips 8b at its free ends. The rivet 9 secures the strip 8a to the rim 70 so that the web of the strip 8a is vertical and by so fixing the web the rivet prevents the downward deflection of the strip. The rim 70 has an enlarged outwardly extending projection 7e at the point where the spring member 8 is secured to the rim 70 to provide further means for preventing the downward deflection of the strip 8a.

The lips 7d and 8b are adapted to extend under an inturned edge portion 10a of a globe 10. This edge portion, which includes a small upward flange 10b, defines an opening 100 in the top of the globe. To install the globe, the right hand side of the edge portion 10a is hooked over the lips 8b, as shown in Fig. 2. The edge portion of the globe engages the upright end portions 80 of the strip 8a, and manual pressure applied to the right hand side of the globe causes horizontal pressure to be applied through the globe against the upright ends of the strip, and the spring strip is forced to deflect inwardly until the left hand side of the edge portion 10a can be hooked over the lip 7d. Release of the manual pressure allows the spring strip to deflect outwardly again, drawing the globe to the right until the edge portion 10a comes up against upright abutments 7 that are turned up from the rim 7c. The globe is then in the position shown in full lines in Fig. 1, and the spring strip, by urging the globe to the right, holds the globe securely in that position. Removal of the globe may be effected by pressing the globe to the left, thus deflecting the spring strip inwardly until the globe becomes disengaged from the lip 7d, after which it can he slipped off the lips 8b.

The outermost edges 7g, 8d of the lips 7d, 8b are preferably curved to match the curvature of the inner surface 10d of the globe. The lips 7d, 8b are in substantially the same horizontal plane, and the vertical distance between this plane and the ceiling contacting surface of the annular portion 7a is only slightly greater than the maximum depth of the edge portion 10a (which is considered to include the flange 10b), so that the globe when installed fits quite snugly between the lips and ceiling. The firm pressure of the spring strip on the globe, and this snug fit, preventing rattling of the globe in response to surrounding vibrations. The globe entirely conceals the supporting structure.

Besides serving as the support member for the globe, the ceiling pan 6 also supports, by means of screws 13, a socket pan 11 and underlying asbestos shield 12 having an aluminum facing on its lower surface. A fibreglass disc 14 is provided within the pan 11, and another aluminum facing is provided on the lower surface of this disc to resist upward transmission of heat. A lamp socket 15 is secured by a bracket 16 to the pan 11, and is energized by means of leads 17 brought down from the outlet box 1 through central apertures in the cover 4 and pan 7.

It will be seen that a fixture has been provided wherein the globe is securely held in position and yet is easily removed for cleaning or for replacement of a lamp. The workman has only the globe to hold and manipulate, and the danger of his dropping the globe is therefore minimized. When the ceiling is being painted, the globe can easily be removed so that it is not splashed with paint, and no particular care need be taken in painting around the pan 7 because the globe, when replaced, completely conceals the pan. All visible ceiling bands, screws or hinges have been eliminated, and yet, as. illustrated, the construction lends itself to the provision of an ample thermal barrier to prevent the transfer of heat from the lamp to the ceiling.

It is to be understood that the form of the invention herewith shown and described is a preferred example, and various modifications can be carried out without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. A ceiling support for a globe having an inturned edge portion defining an opening in the top of the globe, comprising a support member having a first outwardly extending horizontal lip at one side, an elongated spring member secured to the opposite side of the support member and having free ends with outwardly extending horizontal lips, all said lips being substantially in a common horizontal plane, the lips of the spring member being engageable under said inturned edge portion of the globe and the free ends of the spring member being deflectable inwardly against spring pressure of the spring member to allow said inturned edge portion to be hooked over said first lip.

2. A support as claimed in claim 1, wherein the support member has upright abutment means inwardly of said first lip and against which the spring member urges said inturned edge portion when hooked over said first lip.

3. A support as claimed in claim 1, wherein the free ends of the spring member have upright portions engageable with said edge portionwhen the lips of the spring member are engaged under said edge portion whereby the free ends of the spring member are deflectabla inwardly by horizontal pressure applied through the globe against said upright portions.

4. A support as claimed in claim 1, whereinthe support member has a ceiling contacting portion which is located above said plane a distance only slightly greater than the maximum depth of said edge portion, whereby said edge portion when supported on the lips is almost in contact with the ceiling and conceals the support.

5. A ceiling support for a globe having an inturned edge portion defining an opening in the top of the globe, comprising a member having first outwardly extending horizontal lip means at one side, an elongated spring strip'secured at its centre to the opposite side of the member, the spring strip having a vertical web to resist vertical deflection, and having free ends at which the Web is engageable with said edge portion, the spring strip also having at its free ends outwardly extending horizontal lip means engageable under said edge portion, the free ends and lip means of the spring strip when so engaged with said edge portion being deflectable inwardly against spring pressure of the strip by horizontal pressure applied against the free ends through the globe to allow said edge portion 'to be hooked over said first lip means, said member having upright abutment means inwardly of said first lip means and against which the spring strip urges said hooked over edge portion when said horizontal presceiling and conceals the support.

6. A support as claimed in claim 5, wherein said member has further lip means below the spring strip to ensure that the strip does not deflect vertically.

7. A support as claimed in claim 1, wherein the support member has a rigid lip extending below the spring member and preventing downward deflection of the free ends of the spring member under the weight of the globe.

8. A support as claimed in claim 1, wherein the elongated spring member is arranged with one longitudinal edge vertically below the other, the depth of the member between said edges being greater than the thickness of the member so that it is deflectable in a horizontal direction but not in a vertical direction under the weight of the globe.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 595,524 Great Britain Dec. 8, 1947 

